Hoping to get the police to show more sensitivity while tackling cases involving women and children, a non-governmental organisation, in co-ordination with the Mumbai police, has kicked off a sensitisation programme where officers and constables are taught how to deal with such cases.
The
programme aims to sensitise police on how to tackle cases involving women and children,” said Nayreen Daruwalla, programme director of the NGO SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action).

She said, “The training sessions are focused on how to make a woman comfortable when she approaches a police station to report a case; on understanding the seriousness of the issue; on the need to respond sensitively; and on what laws exist against violence.”

Citing an example, Daruwalla said a woman in distress who walks into the police station should be told what noncognisable offences and first information reports are.

Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy commissioner of police, zone V, said, “The aim is to ensure every victim gets justice when she approaches the police. There are complaints from people that police at times act rashly while dealing with such cases,” Kulkarni said.

A special interactive session will be held in the first week of September which will see the participation of senior police officers as well as people’s representatives, activists and members of civil society.

Training sessions will also be conducted for police personnel of zones 3, 4, 5 and 6.

A two-day training session has a maximum 50 people per batch, including constables and officers, Daruwalla said.

The topics covered in the sessions include gender violence, protocols for handling cases of violence against women and children and information on laws that protect women and children from violence.

“Through the use of role plays and small group activities, the police are able to creatively demonstrate what they have learned from the sessions and how they must respond,” said Preethi Pinto, advocacy and communications co-ordinator for the programme.